FACT CHECK: ‘Angat Buhay’ NGO isn’t competing with Marcos administration

Claim: According to a YouTube video, Leni Robredo’s Angat Buhay NGO is still competing with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the video has 5,600 views, 344 likes, and 59 comments.

The bottom line: Although the Angat Buhay NGO aims to be the largest volunteer network in the country, as mentioned by Robredo herself, she said nothing about wanting to surpass the government.

A previous Rappler fact check debunked a claim that Robredo visited the Department of Social Welfare and Development unannounced, when, in fact, Robredo scheduled an appointment with the DSWD to discuss “programs and possible points for collaboration” with then-secretary Erwin Tulfo.

After her term as vice president, Robredo launched Angat Pinas Inc., also known as the Angat Buhay Foundation, on July 1, 2022. A continuation of the Angat Buhay program during Robredo’s term as vice president, the NGO will be mainly guided by four key advocacy areas: health, education, disaster relief, and rehabilitation, according to a Manila Bulletin report.

The creation of the NGO was announced before Ferdinand Marcos Jr. settled into the presidency – during her thanksgiving event at the Ateneo de Manila University last May 13, 2022.

In her speech, Robredo thanked her supporters for their hard work during her presidential campaign while detailing some of her plans moving forward: “Hinding-hindi dapat pumanaw ang diwa ng ating kampanya. Ang pinakalayunin ng gobyernong tapat ay ang pag-angat ng buhay ng lahat. Kaya inaanunsiyo ko ngayon ang target natin: Sa unang araw ng Hulyo, ilulunsad natin ang Angat Buhay NGO.” 

(The spirit of our campaign must never die. The ultimate goal of an honest government is to improve the lives of all. So I am now announcing our target: On the first day of July, we will launch Angat Buhay NGO) – Andrei Santos/Rappler.com

Andrei Santos is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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